Car-coupling



' (No Model.) f

J. W. HOLMES.

, v GAR'GOUPLING. No. 512,029. Patented Jan. 2, 1894.

A TTOHNEYS.

Erica.

ATEENT JACOB lV. HOLMES, OF OKOBOJO, SOUTH DAKOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lNo. 512,029, dated January 2, 1894.

Application filed June 1, 1893. Serial No. 476.244. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownpthat I, JACOB W. HOLMES, of Okobojo, in the county of Sully and State of South Dakota,have invented-a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My inventionrelates to an improvement in car couplers, and it has for its object to provide a car coupler which will be exceedingly simple, durable and economic in its construction, the drawhead of which will differ but little in construction from that of an ordinary drawhead of the ordinary link and pin coupler.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a coupler which will couple with an opposing coupler whether upon a curved or upon a straight line of track, and which will likewise couple with an opposing coupler whether the latter be higher or lower'than it.

A further feature of the invention is to construct the coupler in such manner that the coupling links and hooks will ride practically in close contact, yet the said links and hooks will provide for ample lateral play of the cars as well as vertical movement.

A jfurther feature ofV the invention is to provide a coupler which whenV coupled with an opposing coupler will have but little space intervening them.

The invention consists in thernovel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in 'which similar gures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an end View of a car illustrating the improved coupler applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, taken practically on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; and Fig. Sis a vertical section, taken essentially on the line 3 3 of Fi 2.

'.glqhe drawhead A, may be attached to a carin any suitable or approved manner. The link opening or chamber B of the coupler is beveled in opposite directions at the top and bottom ,the upperwall being beveled downwardly and the lower wall upwardly, and the said chamber may extend through one or both of the side Walls of the drawhead. Preferably however, the link chamber extends through both sides of the drawhead as shown in the drawings.

In the central portion of the link chamber B a vertical semi-circular cavity 10, is produced in the rear wall, and a pivot pin 1l, is passed through the drawhead from top to bottom within the center of this cavity, as best shown in Fig. 2, a suitable opening 12, being made in the drawhead for that purpose.

The coupling medium of the coupler comprises links D, and a hook D', with which the links are connected. The hook D', is pro-4 vided with a somewhat concaved outer face 12 the curve being practically a compound one, and a convexed inner face 13, and the hook in plan View is of somewhat oval shape, as shown in Fig. 2, the said hook consisting of a single block of metal; and the hook is adapted to be secured to the links D, which links practically constitute the shank of the hook.

Two links D, are employed, and these links are preferably constructed by bending a bar of metal upon itself to form an eye 14 at one end, and two members 15 and 16, which extend for a predetermined distance parallel and practically in contact, the outer ends of the members being one fastened to the central portion ofthe hook and the other near the outer end thereof. v Consequently Vthe outer member 15 ofthe link is longer than the inner member, and the outer end of the member 15 is curved in an outwardly direction. As has heretofore been stated, two links are employed in connection with each drawhead; oneof the links'is secured to the bottom of the hook while the other link is attached to the top, the points of attachment being the same. links are brought in engagement one with the other, but the body sections of the members of the upper and lower links are carried one upward and the other downward, leaving thereby a sufficient space between them to admit of the introduction of the hook.

The attachment between the hook and the links of the drawhead may loe made in any suitable'or approved manner; as, for exam- The eye sections of the two IOD ple, the members of thelinks may be welded to the hook, or they may be secured to it by bolts, rivets, or equivalent fastening devices.

and the hook occupies somewhat of a diag# onal position with respect tol the said central line, as illustrated in Fig. 2, its outer `face being decidedly inclined from the outer side inward and rearward in direction of the opposite side.

"A spring 17, is'coiled around the pivot pin 11, and one end Q f the spring is made to enter a recess 18, produced in the rear wall of the link chamber of the drawhead, while the other end of the spring is carried downward between the members of both of the links at the eye sections thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 3. -This spring is adapted to throw the links together in coupling and hold them in coupled position, and also serves to balance the links and hook and allow them to have more or less vertical play.

By reason of the sloping upper and lower walls of the link chamber of the drawhead, the hook of the coupler will readily enter the chamber of the opposing drawhead and couple with the hook in that head, whether the opposing drawhead be higher or lower than the one effecting the coupling. Furthermore,

as the hooks extend beyond both sides of the center, and as their outer faces are beveled, a coupling will be effected between two opposing couplers no matter whether one of them strikes the other at the right or at the left of a central line.

The coupling is thoroughly automatic, as when the two coupling hooks of opposing couplers meet, the hooks will separate or will ride in opposite directions until one passes the other, whereupon the inner surfaces of the hooks will be in engagement, as shown in Fig. 2, the engaging surfaces of the hooks being about equivalent to one-half of their length. Thus a firm and secure engagement is effected between opposing hooks, and one will ride readily upon the other. rlhe links, when the coupling is made, are quite close together, and the links are of such length that the drawheads will be brought quite close together when they are coupled, and the hook of one drawhead will be virtually conceale within the hook of the other head.

In the event that an accident should happen to a link, it may be readily removed by withdrawing the pivot, pin 11, and another link be introduced andthe pin passed through the eyes thereof; the same spring that was employed for the old link may be utilized for the new one.

When opposin g drawheads are coupled, the hooks will engage; only upon a line drawn longitudinally through the drawhead, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby providing for a center draft; and owing to the concavity at each side of the draft point of the hooks, they will have ample room to rock one upon the other as required by the movement of the cars. The drawhead is provided with an ap erture m to receive a coupling pin for hook and pin coupling.

rlhe coupler is exceedingly simple, it is durable, and as heretofore stated it is economic and automatic iu coupling. 'Io effect an uncoupling of opposing couplers it is only necessary that one of the coupling hooks be drawn out of engagement with the other, and this may be accomplished in any suitable or approved manner either from the platform of the car, from its sides or from its top. lOne method of accomplishing this result is shown vin Fig. 1, in which a chain 19, is attached to vthe outer end portion of the hook and is carried upward over the guide pulley 20, located upon the end of the car, and from thence to the top of the car where the chain is properly secured. I desire it, however, to be understood that links may be employed for the purpose, one leading to the top of the car and the other attached to the hook of the coupler, the two links being connected by a chain and the latter passing over the guide pulley 20.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a car coupler, the hook provided with parallel rearwardly extending links, each formed of a bar bent upon itself to form a pin receiving eye and the outer ends of the two members 15-16 of said link being secured to said hook substantially as set forth.

2. In a car coupler, a drawhead, a pivot pin located within the drawhead, a spring-controlled link pivoted upon the said pin and extending out beyond the forward face of the drawhead at its central portion, and a coupling hook secured to the outer end of the link, the hook being diagonally located with respect to acentral line drawn longitudinally IOO through the head and extending beyond opposite sides of the said line, the outer face of the hook being concavo-convex, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a car coupler, the combination,with a drawhead, the link chamber of which is provided With beveled upper and lower surfaces and is open at the sides, and a pivot pin cen` trally located within the rear portion of the link chamber, of two opposing links pivoted upon the said pin, a spring exerting constant inward lpressure upon the links, and a coupling hook securely attached to the outer ends of the links and located between them, the said coupling hook being diagonally located with respect to a longitudinal central line drawn through the drawhead, extending beyond opposite sides of the said line, the Vinner face of the inner portion of the hook being convex and its outer face concave-convex, as and for the purpose specified.

4E. In a car coupler, the combination,with a drawhead, the link chamber of which is proposite sides of the said line, the inner face of the inner portion of the hook being convex and its outer face concavo-convex, and a releasing mechanism substantially/as shown 15 and described, connected with the coupling hook, as and for the purposegset forth,

v JACOB W; HOLMES.

`Witnesses:

J. GLENN LILLiBRIDGE, JAMES H. MILLER. v 

